Abstract:
This work present the synthesis and electrochemical performance of mesoporous carbon
material derived from the activation and carbonisation of polypyrole (PPY). Electrochemical
performance of the PPY derived carbon was investigated in a two electrode cell in a 6 M
KOH alkaline electrolyte. The symmetric device was subjected to floating test (voltage
holding) for ~200 h at a voltage of 1.2 V and the specific capacitance as well as the
resistance of device was determined after every 10 h of floating. The device exhibited a
specific capacitance of 179 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and 158 F g-1 at 10 A g-1. In addition, after
floating for ~120 h the resistance was constant with a very slow decrease in capacitance. Beyond ~120 h, a quick decrease in capacitance was observed with a corresponding increase
in resistance, indicating a possible deterioration to the electrodes. Remarkably, at the end of
floating, the specific capacitance calculated at 5 A g-1 was 120 F g-1 (~25% decay in
capacitance from the initial value 160.5 F g-1 at 5 A g-1) suggesting good stability of the
device over a long period of time (~8 days).
